The Tyachiv District Court found local resident Viktor Gerych guilty of illegal mining as part of an organized criminal group and sentenced him to 1.5 years of probation. The verdict was announced on November 18.
According to the case materials, the scheme was organized by Vitaliy Gyordiai, a deputy of the Tyachiv district council from the Andriy Baloga Team party. During 2024, the criminal group illegally extracted almost 5.7 thousand cubic meters of sand and gravel from the Teresva River in the village of Bedevlya for a total amount of UAH 9.1 million.
Viktor Gerych was one of the truck drivers who transported the extracted mixture to the storage site. After selling the sand and gravel to local residents and communities for road repairs, Gerych received a share of the earnings determined by the organizer of the scheme.
During the court hearing, Gerych entered into a plea agreement with the prosecutor. Judge Vitaliy Chopyk found him guilty under Part 1 of Article 240 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and sentenced him to 5 years in prison, replacing it with 1.5 years of probation.
The case of the group's organizer, MP Vitaliy Gyordiai, is ongoing. He is allowed to participate in meetings remotely via video conference.
